This invention relates to a connector assembly for a handrail installation, which term is used herein to include a balustrade installation, and which is adjustable for interconnection of two handrail components, such as two tubes, to lie in any of a range of positions relative to one another.
Connector devices for securing a tubular member to another tubular member or, for example, to support structure are used commonly in the construction of handrails and balustrades. The connector devices usually are required to provide a smooth surface in combination with the end of a tube to which they are connected and to interconnect with that tube in a tamper resistant manner.
One difficulty which arises in use of the known connector devices is that associated with the build up of tolerances in the handrail installation. In a handrail installation of the type having internally jointed components any mis-match of butted joints, such as between two tube ends or between a tube end and an end connector is visually undesirable. Much time and skill is needed in order accurately to cut tubes to length and create an installation in which all intended butt joints comprise components which are truly in abutment.
A further difficulty arising with use of conventional connector devices is that a considerable number of such connector devices are needed, and are required to be held in stock, in order to interconnect different size tubes and to allow interconnection of the tubes at any of a range of relative positions. Articulated type connection devices have been proposed but these generally suffer the disadvantage of being incompatible with providing a smooth and tamper resistant interconnection.
One object of the present invention is to provide an assembly for a handrail installation of a type which comprises internally connected members and exposed butt joints, and in which the aforedescribed assembly difficulties are mitigated or overcome. Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly for use in forming a handrail installation.
In accordance with the one of its aspects the present invention provides a connector assembly for a handrail installation and comprising two connector components one of which is adapted to locate within the bore of an end of a tubular member of the handrail installation and the other of which is adapted for connection to a second member of the handrail installation, said two handrail components each comprising a head portion and a location portion and the head portions of the two handrail connector components being provided with apertures to receive a retention means for holding the two connector components in interconnected relationship, said apertures and the retention means having the major axis thereof extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said bore of the end of a tubular member of the handrail installation whereby, during construction of a handrail installation, the retention means may act as a pivot to allow the two connector components to pivot one relative to the other about an axis substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, a first of said two connector components providing a fixed location of the retention means relative to said first of the two components and a second of said two components having an aperture of which is of elongate form in a plane perpendicular to said major axis whereby, during construction of a handrail installation, the second member may be selectively positioned relative to the first member, and said retention means being operable firmly to secure the two head portions relative to one another.
The invention envisages that preferably said first of said two connector components, being that which provides a fixed location for the retention means, is of a kind having a location portion adapted to locate within the bore of the end of a tubular member of a handrail installation.
The second of said two connector components may also have the location portion thereof adapted to located within the bore of the end of a tubular member, or it may, for example, have a location portion in the form of a mounting flange for attachment to the outer wall of a tubular member or other part of a handrail installation, or for attachment to support structure, such as a wall, floor or ground fixing position.
A connector component having a location portion of a kind adapted to locate within the bore of an end of a tubular member may comprise an annular shoulder between said location portion and the head portion. Said annular shoulder may act as an abutment against which an end of a tubular member may be abutted and secured relative thereto. A radially extending fastening means, such as a counter sunk screw, may be employed, to extend through the location portion of the connector component and engage with the wall of a tube end thereby axially to locate the tubular member and abutment of the connector component.
Said first of said two connector components may comprise a pair of lug formations spaced apart whereby the head portion of the other connector component may be located between the lug formations. The lug formations may each be apertured and the aperture of the other connector component may be alignable with said lug formation apertures. The head and location portions may be substantially hollow and the lug formations may lie at opposite sides of an opening which communicates to within the component.
One lug formation aperture may be screw threaded to receive and fixedly locate an end of a retention means such as a bolt. The aperture of the other of a pair of lug formations preferably is dimensioned such that a head portion of retention means is but relatively freely rotatable within that aperture and, optionally, radially supported. Preferably the length of the retention means is selected such that a head portion of the retention means can be brought into contact with the head portion of the other connector component by rotation of the bolt to screw it into the screw threaded aperture and thereby act on a side surface of the head portion of the second of the connector components to cause that head portion to bear firmly, non-pivotably against that lug formation of the first connector component formed with the screw threaded aperture.
The screw threaded aperture preferably is in the form of a blind hole.
Each of the lug formations of a first of the two connector components may be provided with substantially identical boss formations, one surrounding the blind ended hole of the apertured lug formation, and the other surrounding the through-bore aperture of the other lug formation and the through which the retention means, such as a screw threaded bolt, is insertable.
The elongate aperture in the lug formation in the second of said two connector components is selected preferably to have a width along the whole of its length which is less than the outer diameter of the head portion of a retention bolt, but a length which is greater than the diameter of said head portion. The length of the elongate aperture preferably is at least 50% greater than the width of the aperture. More preferably it has a length which is at least twice the width.
In the case of a second of two said connector components which has a location portion in the form of a mounting flange, said elongate aperture may be orientated with the length of the elongate aperture extending substantially perpendicular relative to the general plane of the mounting flange. Alternatively the aperture may be provided at an angle inclined relative to said perpendicular direction. In the case of a connector assembly for use in an inclined handrail installation for a stairway or ramp the elongate aperture may be inclined relative to said perpendicular direction, for example by an angle substantially equal to the general inclination of the stairway or ramp relative to vertical. Said angle preferably is selected such that in the assembled handrail installation the length of the elongate aperture is substantially parallel with the length of a tube connected to the other of said two connector components.
A mounting flange may comprise a non planar mounting face for attachment to a second member of a handrail installation. It may comprise a part cylindrical mounting surface, and said surface perfectly has a radius of curvature less than or equal to that of the outer surface of a circular section tube to which the mounting surface is to be secured.
The invention provides also a method of forming a handrail installation comprising use of a connector assembly in accordance with the present invention and wherein the facility for the two connector components to be secured relative to one another in a range of positions, determined by the distance by which the length of the elongate aperture exceeds the cross-section dimension of the retention means, is utilised to accommodate tolerance build-up and allow the installation to be assembled in a manner in which successive component parts, such as two abutting tubular members or the end of a tubular member and the shoulder of a connector component of the present invention, are in contact to provide a smooth finish to the installation.